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Richard L. Hodges obituary

Dr. Richard L. Hodges, a retired Western Michigan University faculty member, died Jan. 30. He was 67.

Hodges, associate professor emeritus of accountancy, first joined the WMU faculty in 1979. He left three years later to join the University of Nebraska at Omaha faculty, but returned in 1985 and retired in 2010 after 25 years of continuous service to the University.

The Kalamazoo resident served as chair of WMU's Department of Accountancy from 1990 to 1996 and as associate dean of the University's Haworth College of Business from 1996 to 2002. His teaching expertise was in the areas of public as well as financial accounting, personnel and labor relations, management and organizational theory, and general marketing.

While at WMU, Hodges was instrumental in helping the business college increase the number of its students who studied abroad to learn firsthand about the international marketplace. He also was involved in several professional organizations, including the American Accounting Association, National Association of Accountants and Michiana chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors, which he served for a term as president.

Before coming to WMU, Hodges worked for three years as an administrative assistant to the Nebraska planning director, two years as an accounting manager for financial information at Food Host USA Inc., and one year as a staff accountant in the Commercial Audit Division of Arthur Andersen & Co. In addition, he served in the U.S. Army from 1964 to 1967.

Hodges was an active member of Kalamazoo's First United Methodist Church, where he served as a trustee, finance chairman, Sunday School teacher and food-pantry volunteer. He earned a bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday in the First United Methodist Church, 212 S. Park St., Kalamazoo. There will be no visitation.

Memorial donations may be directed to the WMU Department of Accountancy--Beta Alpha Psi scholarship fund or the First United Methodist Church Adult Education Fund. Visit langelands.com to make a memorial guestbook entry.